Demographic Crisis

• 1300-1450 CE, Europe's pop. decline by 50%

Reasons

• Northern hemisphere endure "Little Ice Age"
• Recurring famines and rising prices of food
• most of all THE BLACK DEATH (come from Crimea, 1347, and goes crazy)

Effects

• Pessimism about life/escapism/guilt rampant among the survivors
• Radical split concerning religion- people either church lovers or loathers
• Initial exodus from cities (death had been most prevalent there)
• Agriculture variegate produce from sustenance farming to sheep & other produce
• Labor values soars b/c of deaths, eventually drawing people back to cities to work
• Businesses grow autonomous branches (like w/ Medici banks)
• Banking, insurance, and limited liability
• Ship improvements -compass, astrolabe, maps, & sail shape
• Metallurgy improve
• 1450 CE Johannes Gutenberg = printing press
• Firearms (lose the knights, go for cannons!)

Popular Revolts

• govs need money increasingly for new beaurocracy - higher taxes
• agriculture slowly shift from manorialism
• govs, guilds, upper class seek to maintain beneficial status quo in face of change
• English Peasants War of 1381

-response to revival of feudal/manorial dues & head tax by Statute of Laborers

• Ciompi Revolt of 1378 (Florence)

-revolt in destitution for representation, but oligarchy eventually win by '83

Popular Crises

• Crown increase revenue with trade (work w/ towns)
• paid beaurocrats start to replace lords
• elevation of officials to ensure loyalty
• new fire arms strengthen gov, because only nat. gov could afford armies anymore
• these "new monarchs" form basis of modern government (!)

Holy Roman Empire

• feudal gov struggle post Hohenstaufen emperors (1250CE)
• Golden Bull of 1376 - seven electors chose emperor (WEAKENS POWER)

Hundred Years War

• English king = vassal to French King
• Papacy support France, embitter English clergy
• French nobles seize opportunity to turn against own crown
• France gets TRASHED, by 1453 regain all but Calais though

French Results

• Establish authority of central monarchy
• Estates General
• taxes on hearth and gov's salt monopoly (clergy exempt!)
• Charles VII create 1st standing army & true beaurocratic gov

English Results

• over course of funding war, parliament gain complete power of the purse
• Parliament gain rights to impeachment and review laws w/ each reign
• War of Roses (1455-1485) civil war in aftermath won by Henry VII

-start of Tudor line
-ban private armies
-Star Chamber and King's Privy Council try all offenders

Crisis of the Medieval Church

Boniface VII

• Papal Bull Unam Sanctam (DOC!), 1302, monarchs should be subordinate to Pope
• Capetian Philip IV kidnap Boniface, move papacy to Avignon, under French control

corruption, secular preoccupation, lack of leadership, and upheavals

• cuts clergy training, spends more time worry about revenue loss
• collect religious fees on land
• sale of indulgences
• pluralism and absenteeism rampant
• obsessed with ritual and cult of the clergy

Effects Upon the People

• laymen become disillusioned and isolated
• lay piety move to form their own spiritual practices
• "Brethren of the Common Life" - w/out ritual, live in "The Imitation of Christ" (Thomas O'Kempis, 1425)
• John Wycliff work w/in the church

-anti-papal authority, clergy rites, transubstantiation, church property
-write english translation of Bible (outreach to laymen)
-in england with a following during the 100 Yrs War

• John Hus copy with similar attempt in Bohemia, but burned at the stake

The Great Church Schism

• 1378-1417
• Roman mobs push for Urban VI and College of Cardinals reluctantly agree
• Then the College of Cardinals didn't like Urban's reform plans, so they elect Clement VII
• Urban resides in Rome and Clement in Avignon
• Supporters of Urban: England and Germany (N. Europe big on reform, think N. Humanists and Erasmus)
• Supporters of Clement: Scotland, France, Aragon, Castile, Portugal
• excommunicate each other
• 1409 Council of Pisa elects third Pope to settle disagreement
• no one wants to back down
• 1414 Council of Constance: all three have to resign and Martin V is appointed, Papcy moved back to Rome

Results?

• Popes still nonspiritual
• artistic, poetic or just plain corrupt/evil
• very secular and very active in Italian politics
• embarassing for the church, people upset with disorganization and decentralization of the church (one of the reasons people were critical of the churhc and inclined to switch to protestantism)